Start here
Pick your path based on what you’re building:| You want to… | Start here |
|---|---|
| Build or integrate a trading app – Place orders, manage accounts, view positions | Getting Started → Placing Orders |
| Handle account onboarding, funding, and documents | Trading Account → Funding Overview |
| Power UIs with market data – Quotes, history, news, fundamentals | Market Data Overview |
| React to real-time events in your backend | Webhooks Overview |
| Manage API credentials programmatically | Authentication Overview → API Keys |
What you’ll find here
The Buildmarkets documentation is organized into two main areas: Introduction — Core concepts every integrator needs: authentication, error handling, sandbox testing, and a guided getting-started walkthrough. Buildmarkets Wealth — Feature-by-feature guides for each product area:- Accounts — Open, manage, and close brokerage accounts. Handle KYC, retrieve balances, and view open positions.
- Trading — Place equity orders (market, limit, stop, stop-limit), manage open orders, retrieve fills, and view account activities.
- Money Movement — Link bank accounts via ACH, initiate deposits and withdrawals, and track funding activity.
- Market Data — Real-time quotes, historical OHLCV bars, fundamentals, news, company profiles, and reference data.
- Documents — Retrieve, email, and upload account documents, tax forms, and statements.
- Webhooks — Subscribe to real-time event notifications for orders, accounts, and funding.
Get started in 4 steps
Request your API credentials
Email support@buildmarkets.ai to request a key pair. Include your environment (
sandbox or production), the permission scopes you need, and a descriptive label. Key requests are processed in batches and delivered securely to your registered technical contact via encrypted email. See Authentication for the full request process.Test in the sandbox
Point your requests at
https://dev-tapp-api.tappengine.com. The sandbox supports every endpoint production does — with simulated KYC, order fills, and funding transfers so no real money moves.Follow the quickstart
Walk through creating an investor account, submitting KYC, linking a bank, and placing your first order in under 15 minutes.
Go live
Switch your base URL to
https://api.tappengine.com, complete the partner checklist, and start serving real customers.Key areas
Base URLs
| Environment | Base URL |
|---|---|
| Sandbox (Dev) | https://dev-tapp-api.tappengine.com |
| Production | https://api.tappengine.com |
Tip: Always build and test against the sandbox environment first. The sandbox supports all the same endpoints as production and provides test KYC outcomes using specific SSN suffixes.
Authentication
All requests are authenticated using yourX-API-Key and X-API-Secret headers. API keys are provisioned via email request — see Authentication for details on how to request and manage keys.
Versioning
The current stable API version is v1. All v1 endpoints are prefixed with/v1/. Breaking changes will be released under a new version path and announced in the Changelog.
Next steps
- About Buildmarkets — Understand the platform architecture
- Getting Started — Make your first API call in minutes
- Authentication Overview — Set up your API credentials
- Use Cases — Explore common integration patterns
About Buildmarkets
Buildmarkets is a white-label wealth management and brokerage infrastructure platform built for financial institutions. It provides the API layer that lets financial institutions offer investment accounts, equity and ETF trading, managed portfolios, and funding services directly within their own member- or customer-facing experiences — powered by a FINRA-registered broker-dealer and SEC-registered RIA.Buildmarkets API Overview
Buildmarkets APIs sit between your application and the underlying brokerage and clearing infrastructure. You interact with a single, unified REST API; Buildmarkets handles everything underneath:- Account opening & KYC — Identity verification, regulatory disclosures, and agreement capture
- Order routing — Routing equity and ETF orders to market
- ACH funding — Linking bank accounts and moving money in and out
- Market data — Real-time quotes, historical bars, fundamentals, and reference data
- Document management — Statements, tax forms, and compliance documents
- Webhooks — Real-time event delivery for orders, accounts, and funding status changes
Platform Architecture
Your Application (Member Portal, Mobile App, or Back-Office Integration) connects via REST API (HTTPS) using X-API-Key / X-API-Secret to the Buildmarkets API. The Buildmarkets API exposes modules for Accounts, Order Management, Portfolios, Market Data, Funding, Documents, Advisory, and Webhooks. Underneath, it connects to Clearing & Custody (RQD Clearing) and Market Data Providers.Who is Buildmarkets for?
Buildmarkets is designed for partners — financial institutions that want to embed investing features into their product:| Partner type | Example use case |
|---|---|
| Fintech apps | Add a brokerage account tab to a personal finance app |
| Wealth platforms | Power advisor-managed accounts with API-driven rebalancing |
| Challenger banks | Offer stock trading alongside deposit accounts |
| Robo-advisors | Automate goal-based portfolio construction and management |
| HR / benefits platforms | Provide employee investment accounts as a workplace benefit |
Product Areas
Buildmarkets Wealth
The core brokerage suite. Includes account management, equity and ETF trading, ACH funding, market data, and documents.Buildmarkets FIX Gateway
For partners with their own OMS or algorithmic trading infrastructure, Buildmarkets offers a FIX 4.2-compliant gateway for high-throughput order submission.Environments
| Attribute | Sandbox | Production |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Integration development and QA | Live trading with real funds |
| Base URL | https://dev-tapp-api.tappengine.com | https://api.tappengine.com |
| KYC | Simulated via SSN suffix | Real KYC processing |
| Orders | Simulated fills | Real order routing |
| Funding | No real money moved | Real ACH transfers |
Regulatory & Compliance
Buildmarkets’s underlying brokerage infrastructure is operated through a registered broker-dealer and FINRA member. As a partner, you agree to Buildmarkets’s partner program terms, which govern your use of the platform and your obligations with respect to customer accounts opened through your application. Refer to your partner agreement for specifics on your compliance obligations, including customer suitability, supervision, and recordkeeping requirements.Next Steps
- Introduction to Buildmarkets — Understand the key concepts and data model
- Use Cases — See common integration patterns
- Getting Started — Make your first API call